Grand Theft Auto IV: Recidivism Rocks

Grand Theft Auto IV will hit the streets after making parole on October 17, …

Grand Theft Auto IV will hit the streets after making parole on October 17, 2007 (two days later for Europe). When it does, it's going to be available on the Xbox 360, and Microsoft's pretty excited about it. No more finger pointing from the Sony fanboys, eh? (Of course, it will also debut for the PS3 at that time.)

The excitement in Redmond isn't limited to the GTA:IV release plans, however. The company has also inked a deal for "episodic content" with Take Two Interactive, the publishers of Rockstar's GTA series. That's right. At some point in the future, the Xbox Live service will be selling episodic content for a game from the wild and crazy Hot Coffee guys. Good times, good times.

Or I should say, those will be good times. For the next 16 months, you're best off keeping your head low, avoiding the other inmates, and brushing up on your reading skills.

Ken Fisher / Ken is the founder & Editor-in-Chief of Ars Technica. A veteran of the IT industry and a scholar of antiquity, Ken studies the emergence of intellectual property regimes and their effects on culture and innovation.